


Meeting an Old Friend

by Tiresias_Pyrope



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Angst and Romance, F/F, F/M, High School, Humanstuck, M/M, Multi, Smut, humanstuck AU, too much angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-24 06:52:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2572169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiresias_Pyrope/pseuds/Tiresias_Pyrope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tavros gets to see his friend, Gamzee, whom he hasn't seen due to medical reasons, however Tavros discovers new feelings about his best friend and is not too sure what to do. Worse still, Gamzee begins to relapse and Tavros has his own problems. Can they work through this? Humanstuck AU. Smut. Gamzee will swear, of course, so mature language. I do not own Homestuck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Hello everyone :]. This is my first story and I would really like some feedback if it is no trouble. Thank you for reading, my dear readers!***

Tavros Nitram wakes up from a long night's sleep feeling refreshed and happy, which is new to him. Recently he's constantly been in a depressing state, but that doesn't matter today for three reasons. First, it is the fifteen of July; the last day of school. Also, this date happens to mark the day of his birth. But most of all, today his best friend Gamzee Makara can finally leave from rehab. Tavros squealed in delight from this prospect. Gamzee has long been Tavros's best bro since at least fourth grade, and considering they are now both seventeen, this means a lot. However beginning last year, they steadily grew apart due to Gamzee's massive addiction to increasingly dangerous drugs. At first Tavros's best friend tried marijuana, just to take the edge off of his stressful life. But soon this wasn't enough for the teen. Shortly, Gamzee began taking all sorts of dangerous illegal narcotics and his snobbish, cruel, and incredibly wealthy father found out. Mr. Makara put his son into the best rehabilitation center in the state in an attempt to save face. Of course he didn't care whether or not Gamzee healed, as long as his job wasn't lost; Mr. Makara's boss is a HUGE humanitarian.

Knowing of Mr. Makara's coldness makes Tavros's blood boil, but now it doesn't matter he felt as light as air. He gets out from his bed and walked to his bathroom to freshen up. Looking the mirror he doesn't necessarily like what he sees. Tavros likes his black mohawk with orange highlights but found the rest of him fairly lame. Tavros never really found himself attractive, and often finds flaws in himself. Or others point them out to him. Tavros never became part of the popular crowd at school and has a pretty small friend group, most of which he met through Gamzee. The thought of his friend awakes him from his depressing thoughts and he quickly strips and steps into the shower. Tavros turns the water to hot as he can endure and stands there, reveling in the heat of the water. For whatever reason, Tavros loves the heat and steam and takes long showers frequently. After luxuriating in the water, he slowly grabs the soap and starts kneading in the cleaning material over his thin frame starting from the top and down. He passes his groin and moans as he strokes himself. However, he decides to stop indulging. If he wanted to take his long shower AND do that, he would get to the rehab center late. After this disappointing affair, Tavros quickly finishes soaping up and shampooed his soft, almost tuft-like, hair and gets out of the shower. He dries off, once again stopping a little at his midsection, which does not help his hard-on shrink at all. He then walks to his closet contemplating what to wear and decides on tight-fitting gray jeans, accompanied by a black shirt with an orange flame design. Tavros then checks the clock and sees he had thirty minutes before he needs to leave. He climbs down the stairs quickly and welcomes the sight of his 25-year-old brother, Rufioh.

Tavros parents had died in a horrible four-way intersection car crash when Tavros was ten so he now lives with Rufioh. Tavros and Rufioh were in the car with them, however they survived. Rufioh had been barely injured, but Tavros's bones had broken in several places. Rufioh gently carried his broken brother out of the car and screamed for help. Luckily, Tavros made it to the hospital in time and their parents wealth provided Tavros with the sufficient funds and insurance for the hospital stay. Tavros received numerous treatments for his legs for three whole years because of complications and needed a wheel chair for this time. Now, however, Tavros can walk upright on his own two legs. Also, Tavros's only living family member, barely eighteen years old, had been able to get custody of Tavros. Acknowledging how lucky he is to have such a great brother, he greets his him with a big hug.

"Hey bro, I have some toast for you. Sorry 'bout only having toast but went and overslept," Rufioh states responding with a gentle hug to his younger brother.

"Oh, uh, it's cool, I don't mind," Tavros replies. He quickly grabs the toast, spreads some grape jelly on it, and devours it in a matter of minutes. "So… Now that I'm done can we, uh, maybe, go?" Tavros asks hopefully wanting to see Gamzee very badly after so long.

"Oh, that's cool bro, though we are gonna be early,"

"That's fine, thanks bro!" Tavros exclaims. Rufioh only chuckles at his brother's excitement and walks after his him. Tavros got into the car and waits impatiently for Rufioh to get in and start the car. Similarly, Tavros wiggles in anticipation the entirety of the time spent driving to the rehab.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Okay guys, I realize this chapter is tiny but I will post a next chapter soon, like, maybe tonight and almost definitely by tomorrow night. Anyway, please do not be afraid to leave a review of some sort okay guys. Be back soon, I promise :]***


	2. Birthday Gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Hey guys! I am back, like I said, and this chapter is much longer. Also, I should say there is some smut in this chapter. Additionally, the story introduces Gamzee so there is a lot of mature language. Sorry. Anyway, please, please, please leave comments I am already getting attached to this story I would really like to know how to improve it. Thanks for reading :]***

Meeting an Old Friend: Birthday Gifts

Tavros impatiently waits in the front lobby of the rehabilitation center, sitting in a deceivingly uncomfortable chair. He looks around the room but the only familiar face he recognizes belongs to Rufioh. After a few minutes of waiting awkwardly, a doctor emerged with Gamzee and Tavros opened his mouth in shock. Gamzee must have grown at least six inches and towers over Tavros. However, the most noticeable change involved Gamzee's appearance. He now donned no clown make-up, which he used to wear from some obscure, not completely explained reason. Also, Tavros's best friend attained a glow of healthiness which had disappeared after he started doing drugs. Overall, Gamzee grew up well; he looks noticeably more attractive than a year ago. His hair, although still black and kind of wild, now looks clean and well-groomed, almost as if he intentionally styled his hair to look messy. His fuller, less gaunt-looking face seems much more adult-like and gave Gamzee an elegantly handsome look. But most of all, Tavros notices the vibrancy of Gamzee's once dulled purplish eyes. Tavros, although stunned from Gamzee's new look, quickly speeds to Gamzee and tackle hugged his friend whom returned the embrace and laughed lightly.

"Hey Tavbro, it's all kinds of motherfucking miracles to see you again," Gamzee states quietly while picking Tavros up and twirling him around. "Motherfuck, you look good. When you all up and get a mohawk, bro? Aww, it don't matter, but I motherfucking like it."

"Oh, uh, t-thanks Gamzee," Tavros replies, quite flustered. His face had darkens considerably and he has no idea why. "What's wrong with me? Why is my best friend making me feel this way?" Tavros wonders, as Gamzee stops spinning him. "You, uh, look great too," Tavros utters meekly, attempting to hide his scarlet face. Gamzee doesn't seem to notice and walks with Tavros to Rufioh, who now resides in one of the wickedly uncomfortable chairs.

"Hey guys, we are set go now," Rufioh says moving towards the door. Gamzee smiles and grabs Tavros's hand, practically dragging the smaller boy to Rufioh's car. The two boys opt to sit in the back seat and catch up. 

"Tavbro, happy motherfucking birthday!" Gamzee basically shouts into Tavros ear. The teen had not even realized Gamzee did not wish him happy birthday yet. "Bro, I'm real sorry I couldn't get you a motherfucking present," the taller boy says quietly, "that ain't motherfucking fair, you don't need to suffer because of my problems."

"Gamzee, I don't care, about, uh, presents," Tavros replies sincerely, "I just got my best friend back, I don't, uh, think I need much else." The older boy responds by hugging his friend, but still does not seem completely convinced. "Oh, and, uh, Gam, we are going directly to the house and a few hours later everyone should be there. Also all, uh, our friends will be there. Karkat really wants to see you."

"Motherfuck, Karkat's going to be there, I can't wait to see that motherfucker!" Gamzee exclaims happily.

"Hey guys," Rufioh interrupts, "we are pretty much there." The conversation ends there and soon Rufioh pulls up to the driveway of Tavros's house. The three young men walk up to the front door, Tavros first. He opens the door and finds all his friend's shouting happy birthday. Before him Tavros sees Karkat and Terezi holding hands on one of the couches, patting the seats next to them, offering a spot on the sofa, which Tavros and Gamzee take. Tavros notices Sollux and Aradia facing him from the computer chair which they obviously were using. Additionally, he watches Feferi and Eridan begin chatting, most likely about their swimming team, or their over-the-summer marine biology classes. On the kitchen, Nepeta sits on Equis's lap as she draws in her notebook at the kitchen table. And lastly, Kanaya sits across from Nepeta, clearly texting the one person not invited, Kanaya's girlfriend Vriska.

"Hey, Tavros. Guess what?" Terezi whispers into Tavros's ear, while Karkat talks to Gamzee, "it seems you and Gamz are the only two single guys here. You two should so hook up." Tavros blushes at the idea and almost responds negatively to the blind girl, but then wonders if he would mind dating Gamzee. He immediately rejects the thought. "What the fuck!" Tavros mentally screams, "he's my best friend!" The confused boy quickly half-sprints to Kanaya, whom he believes both trustworthy and knowledgeable, leaving Gamzee and Karkat with bewildered gazes and Terezi cackling maniacally.

"Hey, Kanaya," he whispers whisper harshly, "I need some help." Kanaya nods her head and Tavros lead her away from Nepeta, who continues to draw a cat, or maybe a horse, and Equis who apparently enjoys playing with Nepeta's hair.

"So my friend, what do you need help with?" Kanaya asks formally once they reach the hallway. She always speaks clearly and without hesitation. She also seems to enjoy helping others for no reason, which drew her to Tavros when he broke his legs back as a shy ten year old. She has found him stuck, trying to get a ramp on his own for the first time and he couldn't get up it for the life of him; he kept sliding back down. Kanaya had heard the noise and came. Upon finding the sad situation she helped Tavros up the ramp and the two ended up becoming very close friends."Is this about Gamzee?" You gape at her, stunned by her words. "Oh, I am sorry. Is this truly quite a surprise that someone else could tell?

"Uh, well, kind of. How did you know?" Tavros asks timidly. Tavros quickly wonders how Kanaya could know; he only found out a few minutes ago.

"That does not matter. And to make the matter short I believe you should go for it. The chances that he reciprocates the feeling are high." Kanaya rubs your shoulder reassuringly and walks off, phone in hand.

The rest of the party went by in a blur. However, Tavros did remember a few things. He recalled Rufioh tripping and almost sending the cake into Aradia's face, but the moment was only memorable because Tavros saw the way Gamzee looked when he laughed. Tavros couldn't stop staring and didn't even care when Kanaya smirked knowingly. He also remembered how all the guys excluding himself played twister. However, in the end, he only remembered this because when Gamzee won, he had held Tavros close and smiled wildly. All the memories involved Gamzee and the teen then realized he needed to talk to him so Tavros asked him to sleep over.

Now, Tavros sits on his bed while Gamzee plays some game on his laptop. However, Gamzee quickly gets off the computer and grins mischievously. He quickly leaps onto the bed and rolls on top of Tavros. Tavros started laughing and fighting against the other boy. However, the taller and stronger boy has no problem keeping Tavros pinned down. A now exhausted Tavros admits defeat. Content with the victory, Gamzee sits down on top of Tavros and finds something quite unexpected. Gamzee's expression betrays what he noticed and Tavros then realizes he has a raging hard-on.

"Uh, Gamzee, I uh, don't-" Tavros manages to say before eliciting a moan caused by Gamzee shifting his weight. Tavros, high off the feeling of Gamzee's touch, abruptly sits up and puts his lips to Gamzee's. Gamzee gasp into Tavros's mouth from the suddenness of the action and looks into Tavros's orangey-brown eyes completely dazed. Tavros, realizing what he just did, scoots as far away from Gamzee as possible. "Gamzee, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to I s-swear, I-I just really… and I… I, uh," Tavros sobs, not finding the words to say. Gamzee looks at his crying friend and slowly crawls across the bed and wraps his arms around him.

"Tavros, please don't motherfucking cry, I-"

"No! I kissed you and I didn't ask and I-I, I don't know. I just really-" Gamzee suddenly presses his mouth against Tavros's. Tavros gasps, and moans with a mixture of satisfaction and surprise. After the initial shock, Tavros deepens the kiss and lets his hands wander over Gamzee's body. Tavros enjoys the feel of Gamzee's lightly toned stomach and begins searching upwards, pulling Gamzee's shirt off. The taller boy quickly removes his shirt and returns to kissing the beautiful boy beneath him. As Tavros explores Gamzee's chest with his hands, the older of the two starts removing Tavros's shirt. Tavros, although hesitant, allows this to happen. Gamzee looks at the blushing teen underneath him and puts his mouth to Tavros neck. Tavros moans loudly and slowly begins trailing his fingers down Gamzee's stomach towards the hem of Gamzee's pants. Tavros starts unbuttoning his pants as Gamzee's mouth moves to Tavros's chest. He hurriedly removes himself from Tavros and slips off the younger boy's pants and underwear. Gamzee then slips out of his remaining clothing and continues to kiss his lover while his finger pushes against Tavros's hole. Tavros feels the finger enter him and moans into Gamzee's mouth. Tavros, although slightly uncomfortable from the intrusion, doesn't feel any pain and the other boy decides to add a second finger and continues stretching him. Tavros gasps loudly which only motivates Gamzee to add a third and final digit. Tavros continues to moan quietly into Gamzee's shoulder until, finally, he removes the three fingers.

"Tavbro, are you sure you want to motherfucking do this?" Gamzee asks. Tavros only nods as Gamzee moves press his stiff member into Tavros. Tavros feels the intense pain and bites his lip to stifle the scream. A worried Gamzee starts to pull out, but Tavros quickly grabs his arm.

"Please, don't stop," Tavros whimpers. Gamzee lets Tavros get comfortable and slowly pushes farther. Tavros lolls his head back and grits hit teeth, but he doesn't stop Gamzee.

"Motherfuck! I love you Tavbro," Gamzee says in a low voice. Tavros only responds by returning his lips to Gamzee's. The abrupt action causes Gamzee to slide all the way in. Tavros groans loudly into the older boy's mouth, high from the forceful pleasure-pain he experiences with every movement. Gamzee begins moving back and forth slowly and exhales quietly. They slowly begin to rock back and force against each other at a steady rhythm and as the pain in slowly dissipates Gamzee begins speeding up, uttering a loud groan.

Tavros, relishing Gamzee's actions, starts to feel he is close to an orgasm. "Harder. Please," Tavros breathes. Gamzee begins pounding into Tavros, growling with each stroke. Finally the burning inside Tavros becomes too much to bear, "Gamzee I'm gonna-", and as he yells, his whole entire body clenches and unclenches. With one last thrust Gamzee collapses next to Tavros. Tavros faces Gamzee and pecks him lightly on the lips, "I love you, Gamzee."

"Tavbro, I love you too." Gamzee pulls Tavros towards him and gently hugs the smaller boy to his chest. Tavros, sighing contentedly nestles closer into his best friend and lover and happily falls asleep.


	3. Crashes and Crushes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Hello, guys it's me again, please don't kill me for my OOC with Kanaya and Tavros's relationship. I really think the two would be great morails personality–wise even though they don't interact too much in Homestuck. Also to switch things up a little, this chapter will deal mostly with Gamzee's feelings! Okay, begin the story-telling :]***

Meeting an Old Friend: Crashes and Crushes

Gamzee awakes feeling another warm body nestled close to him and realizes both he and the person next to him have no clothing whatsoever. Gamzee, recollecting the events involving the small boy sleeping soundly against his chest, smiled and slowly begins disentangling himself from Tavros. The young man, now viewing the clock for the first time, realizes the two had slept into mid-afternoon.

"Taaaavbro, waaaake uuup," Gamzee says in a sing-song voice, "it's, like, two in the afternoon." Slowly, Gamzee shakes Tavros until the younger boy's eyes opens.

"Hey, uh, Gamz," Tavros stutters quietly, "did that, uh, really happen?" Gamzee nods his head and picks up his young lover. "Uh, Gamzee what are you-" Tavros squeaks before being hushed by the taller boy.

"We motherfucking need to up and start a new day," Gamzee states grinning uncontrollably. He always wanted to date Tavros, but the he never seemed interested. Gamzee attempted everything to get the little orange-eyed miracle to notice him. Eventually, he gave up at the beginning of high-school and, later began doing drugs which removed any chance of attracting the shy boy. Gamzee knew Tavros hated the drugs, but Gamzee's life became so stressful he, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't give it up.

"But, uh, Gamz what are we? Like, uh, are we just, um, friends or um boyfriends...?" Tavros asks expectedly, looking up at the bigger boy carrying him. Gamzee stops in his track, now realizing that little detail never came up.

"Motherfucker, It would be motherfucking miraculous to be your boyfriend," Gamzee replies softly, kissing the boys lips, "now, let's get all cleaned up. Tavros grins broadly and lets Gamzee carry him to the shower. The older boy let's his Tavbro down in the shower and turns the water on, causing the bathroom to steadily fill with steam. Gamzee notices the other boy reaching for soap, and quickly snatches it giving him a playful smile. He then proceeds to open the bottle and squeezes out a fair amount. Tavros stares at the older boy, who now moves closer, in bewilderment. Gamzee surprises the other boy by placing his now soaped hands onto his chest and begins massaging the soap into Tavros's skin. Gamzee allows his hands to wander down the boy's small frame and slowly bends down, rubbing Tavros's thigh. Tavros begins moaning from the older boy's touch. Distracted by Gamzee's wandering hands, Tavros fails to realize Gamzee's head closing in on his midsection.

"Gamzee! Ugh!" Tavros groans loudly, as he grabs the shampoo. Gamzee watches as his boyfriend squeezes out the shampoo and begins dragging his hands through Gamzee's hair. Gamzee goes down on Tavros, causing the boy to start breathing heavily and moans quietly. "Gam, I think I'm gonna-uh-," Tavros exhales. Gamzee begins picking up the pace and hollowing his cheeks, causing the other boy to groan loudly. His efforts are quickly rewarded and an appreciative Tavros moves to return the favor.

However, right then Rufioh bangs on the door of Tavros's room, which they can hear from the bathroom, "Hurry up, we need to talk." Detecting the frustration in the man's voice, Gamzee and Tavros quickly wash up to see what's wrong. Gamzee grabs his clothes off the ground and puts them on quickly and Tavros throws on a black tee-shirt joined with a gray button-up, and gray jeans. The two boys walk downstairs to see why Rufioh seems irritated.

"Boys, come in here," Rufioh yells from the kitchen. The nervous boys slowly creep into the room, only to receive stern looks from Tavros's guardian. "Now we need to discuss something; what were you doing last night?" Rufioh asks sharply, "Gamzee. What were you doing with my little brother?" Gamzee looks down at the ground and gulps rather loudly.

"Rufioh, Gamz and I were, uh-" Tavros begins.

"No! Let Gamzee explain what happened," Rufioh shouts interrupting his younger brother. Gamzee respects Rufioh for taking care of Tavros, and never caused the older Nitram grief before so he felt incredibly uncomfortable with the current conversation. Rufioh arches his eyebrow expectantly and waits for Gamzee to say something.

"Well, Rufioh, Tavros and I are motherfucking boyfriends now," Gamzee confesses, looking down as Rufioh gestures for the older boy to continue, "and, uh, I, uh, I mean we, kind of, went and-" Gamzee states before glancing up and noticing the suppressed laughter of his boyfriend and Rufioh's amused look. "You motherfuckers are screwing with me!" the embarrassed boy exclaims, initiating hysterical laughter from the Nitram brothers.

"Okay, okay, time to be serious," Rufioh states, rubbing away tears from his eyes, "I am perfectly fine with you two being together. I just needed you guys to know that I accept you guys. However, what are we going to do about your father Gamzee? "

"I don't motherfucking care, if he finds out, too bad. Otherwise, I don't give a motherfucking damn," Gamzee states bluntly, "Dad probably won't motherfucking care, his boss doesn't find homosexuality wrong so it won't motherfucking matter to him." Rufioh nods and grabs the two boys bringing them to the car.

"Uh, Rufioh, where, are we, uh, going?" Tavros asks, perplexed.

"Your friends, Karkat and Terezi, wanted to talk to you guys," Rufioh states. The three of them climb into Rufioh's car, Tavros and Gamzee slipping into the back seat.

"Uh, Gamz, uh, is okay, if I, uh, tell everyone we're together?" Tavros, questions quietly. Gamzee looks at the boy and smils, ruffling the hair of his mohawk.

"Tavbro, I don't motherfucking care who you tell. Actually, I do motherfucking care. Tell everyone and maybe that motherfucking blue bitch will shut her motherfucking mouth," Gamzee states, referring to Vriska. The girl always seems to enjoy teasing Tavros for everything, and tries ruining school for the teen. The boy seems to take it well, but Gamzee can't stand her stuck up attitude and Kanaya's relationship remains the only reason he doesn't shut her up himself. Gamzee smiles at the idea of silencing the girl, and from the amused expression on Tavros's face, he agrees.

As the car pulls into the driveway of Gamzee's other best friend, Karkat. Rufioh tells them he will return to pick the two boys up later. As they walk towards the house, Gamzee wraps his arms around Tavros and the younger boy settles into the other's side. As they enter Karkat's house they unexpectedly find all of their friends gathered here.

"Well, well, well," Terezi says in her raspy voice, "looks like the love birds finally figured it out."

"It sure took long enough for you stupid fuckasses to fucking get together,' Karkat adds loudly. The two suddenly realizes the reason Kanaya knew they liked each other; apparently everyone did. "So, because you idiotic fucks finally discovered the blatantly obvious, completely clear, infatuation any eleven year could see, we decided we needed to celebrate. Well, at least the rest of these fucking idiots did, I don't give a damn about your pathetic fucking attempt at romance."

"Anyway," Kanaya interrupted, "we bought tickets to fancy hotel to celebrate. Therefore, I suggest that after the festivities, you two pack up. We leave in two days," Gamzee and Tavros, clearly stunned by their friends, only smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Tavros then ran around and thanked everyone profusely. However, Gamzee went up to talk to his friend, Karkat.

"Thank you, motherfucker, you're the mother fucking best friend a guy could motherfucking have," Gamzee says obnoxiously while wrapping his short friend in a hug.

"Let go of me, you fuckass, it was mostly Kanaya and Terezi's idea," Karkat grumbles, not convincing anyone.

The rest of the night went by quickly. Gamzee felt happier than he had in years, and enjoyed the party. However halfway through the party, Sollux brought out some alcohol, which he, Gamzee, Terezi drank, with a little help from Tavros. By the end of the party Gamzee got so stoned, he passed out, and Tavros half carried him into an angry Rufioh's car.

"Are you fucking kidding me Tavros," Rufioh shouts, "you let Gamzee drink half a bottle of whiskey by himself!" Rufioh continued down the road, fuming and yelling at his little brother. The now drunk boy just got out of rehab!

"When we get back you are so grounded and you are not going on the vacation!" Tavros looks up at his brother in shock.

"B-but Rufioh!" Tavros retorts, utterly stunned by his brother. Tavros never saw Rufioh in such a state. Usually, Rufioh keeps a calm head about everything and accepts people no matter what.

"No, buts! You are not going, period," Rufioh states with a definite tone of finality. Tavros, uncharacteristically upset with his older brother, grits his teeth in frustration. Clenching his hands into tight fists, he stares down Rufioh with an angry glare. Gamzee put a hand on Tavros's shoulder, but this does nothing to calm the him.

"You can't tell me what to do. You're not my father!" the teen shouts angrily at his brother, too angry to care about what he says. Rufioh turns around quickly in his seat, anger in his eyes, knowing his brother intentionally hit a soft spot.

"What did you just-" Rufioh begins before being drowned out by the screeches of metal. Tavros watches as an eighteen-wheeler crashes into the driver side, directly into his older brother driver's seat. The whole entire car begins to compress and suddenly the car jerks, sending an unfastened Tavros headfirst through his window. The teen flies out through the window and collides into a thick oak tree. His vision fades as he lies on the ground, bent at awkward angles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Thank you so much for reading as always :]*


	4. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***So, now we get to see what the damage is! This chapter, I will be introducing some familiar faces. ALSO, I admit that I know very little about matters of medical procedures and recovery so everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Maybe a few. Anyway, please enjoy :]***

Meeting an Old Friend: Aftermath

Tavros, feeling light-headed and weak, slowly opens his eyes. His vision begins to clear and reveals a hospital room. Suddenly, the memories slam into his aching head; the eighteen wheeler, the shrieking of the bending metal, and Rufioh.

Oh god! Rufioh! the teen mentally screams, remembering the truck driving directly into his older brother. The bed-bound Tavros attempts to rise, but finds his entire body incapable of movement. Tavros screams, asking for his brother, trying to attract as much attention as possible. He shouts even as he notices the nurse enter the room.

The nurse grabs your shoulders and repeats, "you'll be alright, shh, it's okay." Eventually you allow yourself to relax and see the blonde-haired young woman with strangely colored eyes before you. "Hello dear, I'm Ms. Lalonde, but, please, call me 'Nurse Roxy,'" the woman says, smiling reassuringly, "now, tell me, what's your name?"

"Uh, I'm, uh, Tavros Nitram," he responds, wondering why the nurse would need to ask, considering he can clearly see his name on the clipboard in her hands.

"Okay Tavros, tell me about yourself," she questions.

"Oh, uh, I am seventeen, and, uh, my older brother Rufioh takes care of me," the teen replies, "do you know where my brother is?" Nurse Roxy looks at the injured boy and frowns, her expression revealing a mixture of pity and sadness. His eyes begin watering as he begins to comprehend the situation. "H-he's not d-dead, r-right?" Tavros asks quietly. The nurse looks at the ground and just shakes her head sorrowfully, affirming the teen's suspicions.

"I'm sorry, dear," the woman whispers sincerely.

"No. That can't be right. Please. No," the boy sobs, tears trickling down his cheeks. "It's all my fault, he was angry at me. I distracted him and now he's dead. Oh dear god, my last words were-," Tavros cries, his words becoming incoherent.

"No, honey, don't think that. It is not your fault, don't blame yourself for the errors of the drivers," the nurse coos softly, grabbing Tavros's unfeeling hand, "also, you're friend made it through; he's in the hall waiting for you. Do you want to see him?" Tavros, hearing the nurse refer to Gamzee, nods rapidly. The woman briskly opens the door revealing the bandage-covered face of Gamzee. The injured boy jumps up and rushes to Tavros side, kneeling next to the bed and placing a hand on his boyfriend's tear-stained cheek. The nurse smiles sadly, and leaves the two boys alone.

"Gamzee-," the boy croaks, his voice failing him.

"Hush, I know," Gamzee murmurs tenderly, pressing their foreheads together, "I know." The taller boy climbs into the bed holding the injured boy closely, and eventually the two heartbroken boys fall asleep.

~Third Person Perspective of Nurse Roxy~

"Those poor boys," the nurse mumbles quietly. On her way out she notices Dr. Egbert, Tavros's physician. "Oh, John!" Roxy shouts, getting the doctor's attention, "please tell me, will the poor boy in E304 be alright? Oh, and I let his friend in."

"Well, with enough therapy he should be able to work his upper body again, however, his legs are too far gone," the physician states sadly, "and Roxy, you know only family members can see him at this point."

"But, his only living family member died in the car crash!" Roxy answers back irritated, "that young man might as well be considered family!"

"Of course, you are correct," the doctor responds, sighing heavily, "just don't mention this to Doc Scratch; he would have a hissy fit, knowing this happened in the Intensive Care Wing." The nurse smirks, satisfied, and carries on, going down the hall. As she walks down the sterile, white hallways, she notices a group of obviously lost teenagers, one of which, a short-haired girl wearing elegantly fashionable clothes, approaches her.

"Hello mam, my name is Kanaya Maryam," the teenager says politely, "Would you happen to know where room E304 is?"

The nurse smiles roguishly and gestures for the lost children to follow,"actually, yes. Yes I do."

~Back to Tavros~

Tavros abruptly awakes to the sound of knocking, and finds Gamzee letting his friends and Ms. Roxy into the hospital room. Kanaya runs to her best friend and embraces him.

"Tavros?" Kanaya asks quietly, "why are you not hugging me back" Kanaya pulls back and Tavros looks away and shakes his head gloomily. Kanaya looks sadly at him, tears welling up in her eyes, but allows Nepeta to push past her.

"Tafurros," Nepeta begins with her funny way of speaking, "are you going to get better?" the sweet girl looks extremely concerned with her friend, and tries to not cry at seeing her buddy in such a state.

"I don't know Nepeta, I have only seen Roxy," Tavros replies. The now crying Nepeta is one of Tavros's closest friends whom he hadn't met through Gamzee. One day, he finished lunch early and went outside to relax. When he left the building, a stray kitten passed by and rubbed against his leg. Tavros, always having some affinity with animals, found this perfectly normal so he reached down and stroked the feline's back. Next thing he knew, Nepeta Leijon came rushing towards him snatching up the baby cat in her arms. Nepeta had apparently tried catching the cat before, but it always outran her. Nepeta thanked the boy profusely, and the two slowly became close friends afterwards. Through Nepeta Tavros met Equius Zahhak, a quiet and strong teen whose father actually owned the hospital Tavros now resides in. Currently, he is wrapping his arms around Nepeta, as any good boyfriend would do.

"Nepeta, if you could be so kind, could I please speak with Tavros," Equius asks gently. Nepeta simply nods and allows her boyfriend to speak with Tavros.

"Hello, Tavros," Equius begins, "my father would like to help in any way he can so when you can, could you please tell me how your healing progresses?"

"Actually, I can answer that," Nurse Roxy states, "the doctor says the damage to legs is permanent, however, the upper body should heal." Tavros, looks at the nurse shocked. Although he expected paralyzation, he cannot imagine a life without the ability to walk. He fights back the urges to cry and looks to his boyfriend for comfort.

"That's motherfucking great and all, but how long will that motherfucking take?" Gamzee questions the woman, squeezing Tavros hand gently.

"I don't know, I am sure but Dr. Egbert can tell you," the attendant replies, "However, now it's time for Tavros to relax, he's been through a lot." The group agrees and decides to return their attention back to comforting Tavros. The teens appreciate that Tavros will heal, more or less, but still feel bad for their friend's loss. The all love Rufioh and cannot imagine Tavros's pain and uncertainty about the future.

Eventually everyone except Gamzee and Nurse Roxy leaves and wishes him well, promising to bring him homework and comforts until he gets out. Right after all the other teenagers leave, Gamzee lies down next to Tavros and hugs him reassuringly.

"Tavbro, I have a motherfucking proposition," the taller boy says, "I am going to turn eighteen in a motherfucking month.' Tavros nodded, still confused at what Gamzee meant. "So, my motherfucking bro, if we play our cards right, you can move in with me, right?" Tavros, nods understanding his boyfriend's logic, but remains skeptical.

"I guess so, but, uh, how could we make that work?" Tavros asked; they don't give custody of children to any eighteen year old boy, after all. Roxy briskly leaves the room suddenly, smiling ear to ear. The boys look after her confused, but continue their conversation.

"I don't know, my motherfucking bro, is there anyone else out there," Gamzee asks quietly. Gamzee, of course, knows Tavros has no family worthy of mentioning, but also knows his drug addiction and age could propose a problem in gaining custody.

"No, uh, there is only you, "Tavros replies.

"I don't know motherfucking how, but, somehow, I make motherfucking sure we get through this," Gamzee promises gently, kissing his lovers forehead. Tavros feels a little better, but still remains just as unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, a voice from the door draws their attention, "Actually, I believe I can help with that". The boys look for the source of the noise and find a blonde woman who looks strikingly similar to Ms. Roxy. "Hello, I am the therapist, here, Rose Lalonde. I believe you met my cousin, Roxy, please call me Ms. Lalonde." The woman walks into the room and sits down in a chair next to the bed. "Well, my job was actually to analyze Tavros's mental health, however, the fact he has received non-family guests must mean the hospital has deemed him mentally stable," the psychiatrist continues, smirking knowingly, "so I took a background check on this Gamzee fellow, and, well, if you plan to live with him, we have our work cut for us." She flips through the pages of her clipboard, "it seems, he just was released from a rehabilitation center, and most government establishments will give him hell for that." Tavros attempts to argue, however the woman stops him, "however there is hope. As far as I can tell, there are no other offers for guardianship, and you are only a year from being an adult. If I can prove Gamzee truly has recovered, we should, and I repeat should, be able to make this work." The woman gets up and motions for Gamzee to follow, all the while shaking her head and muttering, "I can't believe Roxy convinced me to do this." The woman and Tavros's boyfriend left the room, and on their way out, a man, presumably a doctor, enters wheeling in a wheelchair.

"Hello, Mr. Nitram, my name is Dr. Egbert," the physician says simply, "I will be taking care of you." The young man looks about twenty-four years old, has startling blue eyes under a pair of glasses, and black hair. "I believe my wife, Roxy, already began explaining this," the doctor carries on, "however, I should explain further. Because of the damage done to your body as a child, along with this injury, your legs will not work, however, with the right treatments, your upper body should function correctly."

"Okay, but, uh, how soon, uh, will I, uh, heal?" Tavros asks hopefully. The teen already misses the ability to move and would like to leave the hospital as soon as possible.

"I believe that with the proper surgery, we can get you using basic body movements in a few weeks, however, you will have to stay longer for physical therapy," the specialist explains, "all in all, you can leave in about a month and a half to two months." Tavros nods and smiles, the timing seems perfect; Gamzee could get a house or apartment by then and the stay seems relatively short, considering his injuries. "Anyway, speaking of your recovery, a surgery will be held soon," the doctor continues, "and according to Mr. Zahhak, the sole proprietor of this hospital, your treatments are free." Tavros gapes at this fact, causing the doctor chuckle lightly. Tavros reminds himself to thank Equius's father later. As the doctor helps Tavros into the chair and begins strolling him towards his surgery, Tavros thinks how, maybe, he can get through this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Yay, so things are working out for Tavros! However, how long will this last? Guess we will have to wait and see. Also, if you're looking for smut, like in the previous chapters, I promise that is coming up, I just need to get through with this. Thanks for reading guys, you are all beautiful :]***


	5. Hospital Horrors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Hey, so I just realized there is the option to make notes at the beginning and end of these chapters (I know, I am such a derp lol). Anyway, I am excited to have found this option. Thank you for reading, and please enjoy! :]***

"So, motherfucker, what we gonna do?" Gamzee asks Rose Lalonde, the hospital's therapist while sitting in a comfortable black chair, in the woman's office. He watches as the women continues to peruse the papers on her clipboard, feeling rather awkward and out of place in the very official-looking office. Looking around, he notices plaques, ribbons, trophies and awards in psychology. Also, all the women seems to have a liking for black leather, considering all the furniture consists of the material. 

"Okay Gamzee, please describe your relationship with Tavros," The psychiatrist questions, ignoring Gamzee's previous inquiry.

Just happy to finally start a conversation, Gamzee responds cheerfully, "oh, me and that motherfucker are real tight. He's the most miraculous motherfucking boyfriend I could ever hope to get. Why do you ask?" Rose smirks, but continues with the examination.

"Oh, that doesn't matter," the psychoanalyst replies off-handedly, "How, would you say, are you with children, particularly those of Tavros's age?" Gamzee notices the lack of interest in her voice and her passively rude statements. However, he decides not to let it bother him. After all, she could possibly become one of his biggest assets when it comes to Tavros's living conditions.

"Uh, I am real cool with all kinds of motherfuckers. I once worked at a daycare, before I started doing drugs, and the little motherfuckers and I were all kinds of chill," Gamzee answers. He had worked at Hussieville's Daycare for Tots for three years. Although the owners payed him only a tiny salary under the table, he enjoyed the work.

"Oh, good," Rose says with feigned enthusiasm and writing down everything carefully, however not without muttering something about "allowing potheads to watch children". And so this continued while Tavros went through surgery in a nearby room, unbeknownst to his boyfriend. Throughout the entirety of the analysis with Ms. Lalonde, Gamzee slowly becomes more and more on edge. The woman's blatant disrespect and uninterest in the matter slowly wore down on the boy's nerves. Gamzee, at first suspected this investigation would go smoothly and allow Tavros to stay with him. However, all the teen wanted to do now involved storming out of the room angrily, knocking over all the woman's official looking documents and awards.

"Anyway," the horrible woman continues nonchalantly, "I hope the kid is okay." Gamzee looked at the woman perplexed. "He's undergoing surgery right as we speak," the shrink states, as if surgery on a paralyzed boy happens daily.

"Excuse me, motherfucker?" the boy hisses, gritting his teeth with barely contained fury. 

"Dr. Egbert told me Tavros would receive an intense surgery to his spine in room E334, most likely trying to remove fragments of bone and such, not too much of a big deal," the woman states matter-of-factly. Gamzee decides he couldn't take this and stood up, staring down the woman with purple eyes, burning with anger.

"Who, the motherfuck, decided to go ahead with this without MOTHERFUCKING telling me," Gamzee growled softly. Gamzee unable to comprehend who could possibly consider this outcome even mildly acceptable, grips the back of his seat with, his knuckles white.

"Oh," Rose replies, shrugging, "I guess I was in charge of telling of telling you. Sorry." Gamzee stares at the woman, mouth agape as he processes the information. "How the motherfuck," Gamzee ponders, could this motherfucker, "who's been asking me about my boyfriend for almost an hour forget to mention that Tavros is in motherfucking surgery!" Gamzee stiffly stomps out of the room, bursting at the seams with unadulterated rage. Once he leaves the office, he sprints through the halls searching for room E334. Instead of reaching his destination however, he collides into a glasses-wearing, green-eyed nurse with black hair.

"OOF, sorry" Gamzee prattles on incoherently, "really, sorry to knock you over and run, but where is E334?" The nurse gestures rather shocked to three doors back from the direction he came. He checks the door and realizes he almost ran right past the operating room. He shakes his head and mumbles out a rushed thanks before leaving a confused attendant in his dust. However upon opening the heavy doors Gamzee looks inside, shocked to find the room completely barren. Distraught, he turns back to the nurse, now wiping off her uniform, and runs up to her. "Do you know where Tavros Nitram is," the distressed boy asks frantically and out of breath.

"Yes," the nurse responds nodding, "my brother just finished treating him. He should be back in his room, E304. By the way, I'm Jade." Gamzee nods and turns back around, this time not even stopping to thank the nurse, and dashing past the other people in the hallway. He finally approaches the room and bursts in, disregarding the dazed faces staring after him. Once inside, he finds his Tavros sleeping peacefully in the bed, inhaling and exhaling softly. Gamzee stumbles into the chair next to the bed, crying softly out of relief, and dragging his hands through his thick, disheveled hair. Sobbing softly, he hears a soft click from the door. Through his mangled, black curtain of hair, the teen glimpses his tormentor from earlier, Ms. Lalonde.

"I'm sorry," she says delicately as Gamzee looks up, surprised by the apology, "I had to infuriate you enough to determine how well you could handle the stress involved with caring for Tavros." The now more composed boy sighs and nods imperceptibly, accepting the wisdom of the woman but still bothered by the means she achieved her goal. Rose grabs the boy's shoulder reassuringly and smiles, "from your calm yet sincerely furious reaction which was captured on film, you have much better chances." Gamzee smiles earnestly at the lady, realizing Ms. Lalonde only wanted to help her patients. And now calm and appreciative, he watches as she leaves, closing the door with a quiet click.

Suddenly Gamzee's phone rings loudly, disrupting the peace of the silent hospital room. Looking and the phone and identifying Equius as the caller, Gamzee quickly answers the phone "hey motherfucker, what you all up and calling for."

"Hello Gamzee," Equius replied stoicly, "could you please give the phone to Tavros?" Gamzee looks at the quietly sleeping boy in the bed and smiled.

"No can do, that cute motherfucker is all kinds of asleep now, he just got done with motherfucking surgery." Gamzee turns to see the boy move slightly, apparently waking from his drug induced nap.

"Alright," Equis sighed, "just have him at my house tomorrow, if possible."

"Gamzee, who is that," Tavros asks quietly. The older boy just shakes his head, and quickly says good-bye to his friend on the phone.

"Ain't nobody, just motherfucking rest," Gamzee says quietly, sliding slowly onto the hospital bed with his boyfriend. He then hugs the other boy with one arm, careful not to actually move Tavros as it could possibly cause injuries. However, once Gamzee touches him, Tavros gasps, causing Gamzee to remove his arms suddenly. "Did I hurt you," the older boy questions, afraid to cause damage to his boyfriend.

With an ecstatic look on his face, Tavros shakes his, "no Gamz, it's your hand on my shoulder." Dumbfounded, Gamzee stares at the younger boy. After all, the teen just had a hand on the other's shoulder; it should just feel like an innocent hug. "Wait a motherfucking second" Gamzee thinks. Suddenly, Gamzee begins smiling wildly. Tavros said the hand on shoulder. More accurately, a hand he felt his shoulder which couldn't possibly see. "Tavbro, you already can feel things!" Gamzee exclaims happily, lightly pecking his boyfriend's forehead. Tavros nods, smiling fiercely.

Tavros grins happily and nestles into his boyfriend's embrace, sighing contentedly. And after such an eventful day, the two fall asleep immediately, much more peacefully than either has since the accident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Hello, so I realize that this outcome would not possibly happen in the REAL world of medical science. However, I kind of pushed that part along for the story's sake. If you think that is a problem, I will definitely consider changing it for future stories because I really do want my readers to enjoy them. Anyway, thank you very much for reading this far, and I will definitely continue posting :]***


	6. Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Hello, so now that I seem to somewhat be getting used to this website, I will most likely stop leaving so many annoying blurbs up here. However, I may leave some at the end because that's just me X]***

Tavros sits in a wheelchair propelled by his joyfully whistling boyfriend down the white hospital walls. Looking around now, he notices for the first time how accustomed he has become with the sterile, overly bright place. The teen did not know how he became so familiar with the same horrifying building in which he first awoke. However, an extra bit of excited lingered within Tavros today. Earlier this morning Gamzee informed Tavros of Equius's desire for Tavros to visit and expected the two boys to arrive this afternoon so Gamzee asked Dr. Egbert if Tavros could go, and the physician agreed as long as the trip only lasted four hours.

At first, Tavros feels delighted to leave the confines of the drab, depressingly dull building. But as he closes in on the lobby, he begins to feel panic well up in his chest. He now realizes he does not want to leave the safety of the hospital. If anyone but his close group of friends saw him this way, Tavros feels like he would just die. As he nears the lobby, questions run through his head; What if they ignore me like I don't exist like the kids did when I was little. Pulling nervously at the wheelchair's arms, he tries to calm his mutinous mind. Never completely sure of himself, Tavros now feels like everything over the past few days has taken him by storm. He doesn't want others to see him differently now he has disabled legs. He doesn't want pity or a different lifestyle or even kind wishes from his friends. He just wants to have normal legs and a normal life.

"Tav," Gamzee says, noticing his boyfriends anxious fidgeting, "what's the matter?" Tavros looks at his boyfriend and sighs heavily, knowing hiding his fears could not help the situation.

"Gamzee, what if, uh, people make fun of me because of my, uh, legs again?" the younger boy asks him. Gamzee moves the chair to the side of the hallway to get out of others way and bends down to Tavros's height. Uncomfortable, the boy lets head hang down, looking anywhere but forward. However, Gamzee guides Tavros face back up to eye level, and kisses the him lightly.

"Well," Gamzee responds, looking Tavros in the eyes, "I will just have to beat a motherfucker up." Tavros blushes, not completely sure how to react to the other teen's promise of violence. The taller boy, not at all deterred by the obvious uncertainty in Tavros, smiles sadly and continues, "Tav, I know we ain't been motherfucking together for too long, but I will not let anyone hurt you. I feel like shit for being the reason your brother died and I won't let anything like that ever happen again." The boy looks up at Gamzee, stunned by the both by his boyfriends sincere declaration to protect him, and the confession. Suddenly, the strangeness of the last few days hit Tavros. Gamzee's recent over-protectiveness and constant attendance now seemed more logical. The other boy feels responsible for Rufioh's death and for Tavros's pain, so skipped school and did everything within his power to ensure the injured boy felt completely comfortable.

"Gamzee, you can't blame yourself for that!" Tavros exclaimed. The now depressed looking boy just looks at the other and just nods slightly, clearly blinking back tears. Not at all convinced by his purple-eyed boyfriend, Tavros continues further, "Gamzee, you didn't do anything wrong, you were just there! You were in and out of being passed out!"

"That's the motherfucking problem," Gamzee whispers softly, blinking back tears, "if I wasn't such a fuck up and didn't get all drunk on that stupid alcohol, we would've made it home." Sniffling, the tall boy continues, "You wouldn't be confined to that motherfucking wheelchair, Rufioh wouldn't be dead, and I wouldn't feel like a stupid motherfucking loser!"

Filled with grief, Gamzee kneels on the ground resting his head on the wheelchairs armrest, and puncches the hard brick wall, causing pain to shoot up his arm. Even when Gamzee became depressed and started using drugs, never had he felt like such a shitty person; he blamed the world around him for any of his grievances. However, the boy cannot place his own faults on others this time around. According to him, he holds all the blame for Tavros's pain and Rufioh's premature demise. All of it placed on his shoulders, now trembling slightly from the built up guilt he has hidden for the past days. Looking sadly at the suffering Gamzee, Tavros pulls him from the ground motioning him to follow. Too tired and miserable to fight, Gamzee lets the wheelchair-bound boy lead. In a matter of minutes the two return to the hospital room. Tavros pulls himself from the wheelchair and sits on the bed, inviting the despairing boy to sit next to him.

"Gamz, you always act like, uh, I could break at any second," Tavros coos soothingly, "You never, uh, ask for anything for yourself, do you?" Gamzee shakes his head negatively, remembering his selfish over-consumption of alcohol, which led to the death of Rufioh, and the paralyzation of the only good thing in his life. "Don't you see," Tavros carries on, ignoring the refusal, "You never once considered yourself worthwhile enough to bother me. Do you think I wouldn't notice?" Gamzee looks up, sufficiently bewildered. "How often have you asked to do something you wanted to do?" the smaller boy questions, just now realizing what Gamzee put himself through to atone, "Have you even eaten since we gotten here?" The crying boy's eyes widen, realizing he hasn't visited the cafeteria or a vending machine at all since arriving at the hospital. He didn't even think to; he just wanted redeem himself in the eyes of his lover. "Come on, we still have a good while before we have to get to Equius's house, we should really eat," Tavros concludes, smiling supportively.

"Okay," the Gamzee replies, wiping away his tears. After Tavros lowers himself into his wheelchair, the taller boy hugs his boyfriend closely to his chest.

"Babe, I motherfucking love you so much," Gamzee whispers quietly into Tavros's ear, "I don't know what I would have done if you were gone too."

"I know Gamzee, I love you too," the younger teen replies gently. Gamzee steps back and Tavros pushes himself out the door, moving before his boyfriend can get a hold of the wheelchair. The taller boy chuckles lightly and follows and go to the cafeteria. Choosing from a wide array of food, the two teens scarfed down as much as they could, almsot ignoring the outside world completly. However, after eating a nice long meal, the two sufficiently fed full boys head towards the front lobby only to find all of their friends standing there waiting for them.

"You assholes stood us up!" Sollux yells loudly, his voice heavily lisped. Next to him Karkat nods angrily and adding an irritated "yeah" as he stare daggers into Gamzee. Aradia and Terezi shut the two boys up with equally terrifying glares, even with Terezi facing the wrong way.

"Uh, guys?" a confused Tavros questions, "What is this about?" The boy didn't get why his friends would gather in the lobby of the hospital just because they didn't arrive on-time to a little get together. Although, it seems recently they came up with all sorts of reasons to gather in places for him. Do they not have other places to go to? Shaking off the thoughts, he watches Equius pressing his way through the crowd, struggling to carry a giant decorated box.

"Well," Equius begins, setting the large gift wrapped item in front of Tavros, "I have something here which we all wanted you to with a little discount, we managed to buy you this late birthday present of sorts."

Perplexed, Tavros pulls of the colorful wrapping paper revealing a cardboard box. The teen opens the box and digs through the packing peanuts, and lets out an astonished gasp. Clearly pleased by his gift, he begins to smile in an almost maniacal manner. As everyone else smiles and claps, Gamzee looks at the colorful box in confusion. Noticing this, Tavros motions the boy over and when Gamzee does so, he hugs Tavros tightly and kisses his face profusely.

"Happy birthday Tavros," Kanaya says while crossing across the room and takes over hugging the overwhelmed boy. Motioning Gamzee over to the box, Equius instructs the tall boy to pull the present from it's cardboard confinement. With much difficulty, the two remove Tavros's gift and put it on display for everyone to see. Everyone in the group, as well as some nearby hospital staff cheer and clap loudly as they see a pair of prosthetic legs displayed in the middle of the hospital lobby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Thank you for reading, guys! OH! And thank you Khanofallorcs and BreakALeg for leaving kudos! <3***


	7. A House in the Meadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Hey guys, just so you know this chapter will breeze through time rather quickly, skipping most of the summer and will almost be into fall. It will also switch from back and forth from a third person focus on Gamzee's perspective to a third person focus of Tavros's so you might get confused, but I'll do my best to make clear what is going on.***

The next month sped by quickly. Tavros received surgery for his prosthetic legs and with the help of Equius he learned how to use them. He spent a majority of his time with Gamzee doing fun things such as watching movies, or just snuggling and did physical therapy every day during the time since he got his new legs. And finally, three days before the beginning of the new school year, he could leave.

"Hey Tav," Gamzee shouts loudly, smiling dopily at Tavros, "I got a real motherfucking surprise for you!" The excited boy holds the now standing Tavros's hand, smirking as the younger boy strolls smoothly through the white, brightly lit halls of the hospital. "The poor motherfucker has been through a lot," the taller boy thinks remembering all the times his boyfriend tripped trying just to stand. Gamzee really doesn't understand how the legs worked, but he does understand the limbs, somehow, connected to Tavros's nerves and could receive brain transmissions which told the previously disabled boy how to walk.

"I know, silly," Tavros replies, shaking his head, clearly amused by his boyfriend's ridiculous antics, "You've, uh, told me about it every day for the last week." The taller teen, although not much taller than his newly healed lover, looks down realizing how much healthier and happier Tavros has become. His face now glows with health, fuller, and flushed with color, his light tan hinting at his Hispanic heritage. Unknowingly, Gamzee stares at Tavros lovingly and feeling incredibly lucky to have him all the way to the hospital's lobby.

Once in the foyer, the two boys once again find a group of people welcoming them. However, this group consists of an entirely different group than usual. Standing there, in the hospital lobby, a good portion of the hospital staff, apparently either shirking their duties or off-work, smile at him.

Among the group he found some people who helped him through the last few weeks. His black-haired physical therapy specialist, Mr. English, waited in casual clothes; cargo pants, a green button up and his ever-present square glasses. The green-eyed man always told Tavros to try his best, but not to over-do it so he could "be jolly well on his way to adventuring once again!" Although he definitely had a rather odd personality, he clearly knew his profession and his optimistic attitude helped Tavros to recover. His wife Mrs. Jane Crocker wore her usual uniform; a blue button-up shirt, white slacks, and her apron. The blue-eyed, black-haired, glasses wearing woman must have just finished fixing up the meals for her to visit you. The cafeteria lunch lady ensured the two boys did not skip meals, and would scold them heavily if they refused to comply. Obviously, Gamzee never fasted like he did when he and Tavros first arrived at the hospital. Mr. Dirk (who feels last names are too formal), a blond-haired surgeon, who wears triangle-shaped shades and specializes in attaching prosthetics, fails to hide a proud smile as he nods in acknowledgment as Tavros waves at him.

Of course, even more familiar faces present themselves in the large crowd. Crying hysterically, Roxy rushes up to Tavros, jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck.

"You be good now! Okay boo?" Roxy sobs, her face in the boy's shoulder. Tavros smiles and wraps his arms around the nurse. Roxy really did help the boy when he grieved for his brother. She soon became an anchor, keeping him from falling into despair. Gamzee smiles at this cute sight thinking, She's such a sweet motherfucker. Roxy looks up to the taller boy and stares intensely at the bot, even with tears streaming down her face. "Gamzee," she begins, "I don't want to hear any shit about you drinking. Got it? That shit is nasty, don't do it." The teen just nods rapidly, shocked by the women's intensity. However, she soon breaks down again and sobs uncontrollably into Tavros's shoulder while forcing Tavros to agree to several different promises an incoherent, whispered tone.

Chuckling at her cousin's actions, Ms. Lalonde walks up to Gamzee, and shakes his hand politely. The purple-eyed boy, at first loathing the woman, holds Rose in the highest respects and felt indebted to her. Without her help, Gamzee never would have gained guardianship of Tavros. He nods and smiles, causing the woman to smirk in return. "Mr. Makara, working with you has been a great pleasure," she states, "I hope the best for you and Mr. Nitram." He simply nods in response, and as the woman moves out-of-the-way, Jade takes the chance to tackle hug the teen.

"Oh, Gamzee, I'm going to miss you so much," she tells the slightly off-balanced boy. Through the one day where Gamzee accidentally knocked over the green-eyed nurse, a friendship formed. The nurse soon helped Gamzee through his problems and eventually talked him into believing he didn't cause the accident. Much like Roxy to Tavros, Jade seemed like some sort of saint or angel who helped them through their darkest times. Tearing up, she allowed Gamzee to see Dr. Egbert talking to Tavros, the doctor's arm around his weeping wife.

"Now Tavros," the doctor begins, smiling kindly, "Just because you do not need treatment any more, don't be a stranger." His glassy from barely stopping himself from crying, Tavros simply nods rapidly and grins. The two shake hands and the doctor moves, still supporting his wife. Gamzee wraps his arm around his boyfriend's waist and holds the boy as close as possible as the two walk through the crowd in the foyer.

As they leave the building with voices screaming out well-wishes and goodbyes in the background, Gamzee opens the passenger side door of his dark purple car, motioning Tavros to climb in. Beaming appreciatively at Gamzee, he climbs into the car and buckles in as Gamzee closes the door and gets to the drivers side of the car. The violet-eyed boy jumps into the driver's seat and begins to drive away, still a little teary-eyed from the sweet farewells he received.

Tavros looks out the window, staring back at the building and watching it grow smaller and smaller. He already misses the relative safety, comfort, and friendly faces of the clinic, but knows now he must go on and go back to normal life. Outside of the building, he has not only a group of caring friends, but a compassionate, wonderful boyfriend.

As Tavros organizes his thoughts he becomes so engrossed in his ponderings, he does not recognize time passing, the sun almost at sunset, or when Gamzee pulls into the driveway of a completely foreign house. Realizing the vehicle has stopped, however, he looks up to see a beautiful scene. Through his window, he sees an open meadow filled with long, green grass and wildflowers, only marred by a babbling brook and a few small saplings. The edge of the field notices the transforms into a forest of large trees and dense vegetation, giving the impression of an isolated wonderland. Utterly mystified, Tavros looks toward the house itself and gasps. The small, cottage-like house made completely by stone, blends perfectly into the natural background. Moss and a few flower-bearing vines cover the presumably old house, almost as if the structure slowly becomes consumed by the surrounding shrubbery.

"You motherfucking like it?" Gamzee asks softly into the captivated boy's ear, "It's ours now." Tavros looks at his lover and hugs him, nodding rapidly. Gamzee smiles and pulls back as opens the car door. Tavros opens his door and gets out as well, watching as Gamzee motions for him to follow. Holding hands, the two enter their new home together. Once inside, Tavros finds the house perfect. The entryway opens up to a well-furnished living room. The couch, made of black leather, sits on a hard-wood floor across from a fireplace and a large flat-screen television hanging from above.

Tavros also notices a kitchen, completely attached to the family room. Only a counter top separates the two rooms and both well-lit by electric lights, cleverly disguised as gas lamps. This room has stone floors, the same as the stone on the walls, and contains wood cabinets, a stone oven, and a sink. Tavros looks at Gamzee unable to speak. In response, the older boy grabs Tavros, leading him to a final room.

Inside, Tavros views a hardwood floored room, simply furnished with a wood desk, a wooden bedside table, and a bed with a large wood bedpost and canopy. The white, quilted blankets and the white canopy drape contrast starkly, yet beautifully, with the stone and hardwood. The younger boy sits on the bed, looking at Gamzee. The older teen responds by carefully removing his boyfriend's prosthetic legs, all without looking away. Gamzee slowly rises kissing Tavros, eliciting a soft moan. The other boy hand's tremble as he unbuttons Gamzee's dark purple dress shirt, but eventually manages to throw the shirt to the side without separating from his lover. Gamzee pulls Tavros's orangey-brown V-neck, tossing the shirt on top his own, creating a brown and purple heap of clothing. The older teen's hands begin to wander down his boyfriend's sides, provoking a quiet groan. Breathing heavily, Tavros quickly unbuttons Gamzee black jeans. The teen removes the denim pants, and slowly lays Tavros on his back. Gamzee stops, looking at Tavros for permission. Tavros nods his head, whimpering slowly as Gamzee leans forward.

The pain, although not as intense as when he and Gamzee started dating, snuck up on the boy. However, even as he grits his teeth and clutches the sheets, Tavros feels an underlying tone of pleasure and releases a feeble moan. Taking this as an invitation Gamzee continues, slowly increasing in speed and force, causing the smaller boy beneath him to whimper quietly. Soon the pain dissipates from within Tavros and, he responds to Gamzee touch, groaning loudly until finally both begin to feel warmth rise in their bodies. The two move in sync, triggering intense feelings of bliss in both of the teens. Releasing the tension and heat simultaneously, Gamzee collapses on top of his lover.

"I love you so motherfucking much, my little miracle," Gamzee whispers as he climbs into bed. He crawls under the white blankets and pulls Tavros close. The other teen responds by nestling his head into Gamzee's chest, sighing contentedly.

"I love you too Gamzee," Tavros responds, kissing his lover's lips. Looking back, he realizes he has suffered so much over the past two months. But for every ounce of pain and hurt, Gamzee replaced it with insurmountable joy. And while Tavros may not know what lies ahead for them, he allows himself to just lie there knowing his old friend can give him happiness he never expected to experience. Hopefully, for many years to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Thank you for reading, I am sure I will update soon. However, after about chapter 12, my update schedule will slow down completely. As stated before, this story is being transferred here after being partially pre-written. As such, I will be trying to update weekly but it may become every two weeks due to school. I just thought you all would want a heads up.***


	8. Fire and Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***I think I would like this chapter to speak for itself a little bit. But thank you for reading as always :]***

Tavros awoke to a loud thud. Looking over the side of his bed he noticed his boyfriend with dress pants around his ankles and face pressed into the ground.

"Stupid, motherfucking pants," he hissed, obviously trying to keep his voice down, "why do these things got to go up and trip a motherfucker?" The just awoken boy suppresses his laughter as he watches the annoyed teen trying to worm his way into his clothes while still lying on the ground. Still mostly pant-less, Gamzee gets off the ground and mutters a rather extensive slurry of uncouth words under his breath. Unable to hold it in any longer, Tavros begins laughing hysterically, causing his boyfriend to jump in surprise fall face-first into the ground again. With a loud "oof", Gamzee finds himself on the hardwood floor with pants around his ankles for the second time that morning. As he attempts to rise, he slips on his slacks initiating yet another face plant, causing tears to form in a snickering Tavros's eyes. "Oh, so you think that's funny, motherfucker," Gamzee says exasperated, "I'll show you something REAL motherfucking funny." Still having trouble suppressing his fits of giggles, Tavros watches as Gamzee gets off the ground, and reveals a mischievous grin. He suddenly lunges onto the bed on top of Tavros and begins tickling his sides. Caught off guard, the boy starts squealing with laughter and pushing off his boyfriend.

"No, Gamzee please," the boy squeaks between rounds of uncontrolled cackling, "Oh my god, stop!" Undeterred by the plea for mercy, Gamzee continues poking at the sides of the other boy. Eventually wiggling out of Gamzee's playful grasp, Tavros jumps on his back. However, refusing to give in, Gamzee attempts to throw off the other boy, but only manages to fall on his side. Now giggling and breathless, they both lie on the bed facing each other and smile like idiots. However the older boy suddenly begins frowning and pulls up his slacks. He retrieves Tavros's prosthetics and motions for the boy to climb up to the edge of the bed.

"Gamz, what's the matter," a worried Tavros asks. Gamzee speedily attaches the fake legs and kisses his lover's forehead.

"Tavbabe, it's August 20th," the boy responds sadly, pulling his boyfriend into a hug.

"Oh," Tavros replies, now frowning as well. Today the two boys will attend the saddest event of Tavros's young life; the funeral pyre of Rufioh Nitram. The simple fact of the funeral just now taking place so long after the accident,spoke for how many injuries Rufioh's body suffered. The amount of skin grafting and overall repairing to prepare the body for exhibit must have taken an extreme amount of expert skill and precision. Tavros began blinking back pesky tears at the thought of Rufioh's premature death, causing a concerned Gamzee to embrace the boy even more tightly.

"It's okay," the older boy whispers, "but we need to get dressed." The miserable teen just nods and allows Gamzee to dress him. Tavros dons an expensive looking black tuxedo covering an orangey button-up shirt, while Gamzee wears a dark purple tuxedo with a black dress shirt. They somberly walk out of their home, not saying anything at all.

As Gamzee enters the car, he wonders about his boyfriend. The older teen never established a strong relationship with his own father or brother and could not comprehend the pain this other teen felt. However, if it resembled the hurt of the time Gamzee thought he would lose Tavros, the taller boy knew the heartache could easily destroy the suffering boy. Quickly looking over before starting the car, he sees Tavros gazing absent-mindedly out the window. On any other occasion he would consider it "motherfucking adorable", however now the look just caused a deep sorrow to form inside him. Sighing, Gamzee started the car and wondered if this day could possibly get worse.

On arriving at the crematorium, Tavros looked away in disgust. From the outside, it hardly seemed a suitable place for his dear brother to have his final goodbye. Although formerly a mansion, the outside donned chipped white paint which revealed grey, decaying wood. The shutters hung off at awkward angles and swung in the wind due to loose hinges. The disappointed boy sighed, he should not have expected much more. Funeral pyres, a tradition in the Nitram family, did not occur often in the area. Therefore, the crematorium probably could not keep their places of work well-maintained due to insufficient funds.

"Let's just get this done," Tavros spat bitterly. He ignored Gamzee's alarmed looked and rushed inside the large wood doors. Upon entering, the wide-eyed boy found the inside quite elegant and professional, a vast improvement from the outside. Additionally, an innumerable amount of people crowded the large building, half of which Tavros did not even recognize. As Gamzee slipped inside the building and the heavy mansion doors closed, all eyes turned to the boys. Feeling self-conscious shied away and quickly found Kanaya.

"Hello, Tavros," she said softly, hugging the boy, "because you were the last to arrive, we can continue." Tavros simply nodded and allowed his best friend to lead him to the room which contained Rufioh's body.  
Gamzee followed his grieving boyfriend into the furnace room in which Rufioh would move on. The director asked if anyone would like to go up, and a shockingly massive amount of people declared they had something to say. Not to Tavros's surprise, not a single person in the room mentioned anything negative about the older Nitram brother. Instead, everyone held him the highest respect and with much fondness. People from all aspects of Rufioh's life said wonderfully beautiful things about the kind, gentle man. His co-workers at the local animal shelter always told grand tales of such generosity and kindness. Most involved how he could not leave any animal behind and often risked his own body for even the smallest, most disease-ridden creatures. His friends mentioned how much the man livened up parties, yet always managed to stay sober and drive home early to tuck in his little brother. And due to the open invite, random people who barely even knew the man's name revealed several stories of such compassion, Gamzee's heart broke. One such story told by a seven-year old girl and her mother, spoke of how just four months ago the "funny mohawk man" grabbed the little girl's arm when she chased after her rubber bouncy ball. An item which never got retrieved because a drunk driver drove into the residential area at fifty miles an hour and collided into the over-sized toy, swerving into the neighbor's fence as the car made contact the unnoticed ball.

Eventually, the only stories left belonged to Tavros himself. And as Tavros stood before his brother exhibition coffin, he didn't even attempt to fight back the waterworks. Instead, he turned to the crowd and started to speak. "I, uh, am, uh, not good with words but, I uh, I, uh-" he began before slowly breathing in and then exhaling. Gamzee and Tavros's friends leaned forward, willing the boy to speak.

"Rufioh was-no- is my brother. And so it will remain forever. He offered me the advice expected of an older brother and yet he is so, so much more. When my parents died, he became my parent. As a guardian, he tried to shelter me from this harsh and teach me to live in it" Tavros let out an unsteady breath as tears streamed down his cheeks. However, Gamzee saw the determination in his face, hidden behind the fragile exterior and he watched as Tavros, with quivering lips and swollen eyes, continued with confidence in himself. "He gave everything he had to make sure I lived a happy, full life and I could not ask for anyone better to raise me, and I would never do so. He protected me from all the pain, yet made me know how to deal with it. He never, not even once, allowed me to feel content with not being content. However, he taught me to deal with my problems and improve my own life. Most of all, I he was someone who loved me, loves me, and will love me until the end of time, not matter what I do. He is my brother Rufioh, and he is gone. But he raised me well enough to not need him, and for that I am forever thankful." Tavros sobs quietly as the whole room stands there, filled with shock, especially Gamzee and all of Tavros's friends. Never had Tavros uttered such powerful words, let alone without a single stutter. The older boy walks up to his boyfriend and embraces him promising everything would be okay and telling him how fantastic he did. He then nods from over the weeping boy's shoulder to tell the director to continue with the cremation.

"Babe, you have to watch this or you will regret it," Gamzee muttered into his boyfriend's ears. The two boys simply turn their heads and watch silently as Rufioh slowly goes into the cremation furnace. Later, his ashes will then be thrown to the wind by the own closest to him, allowing his spirit to soar and watch over his loved ones and those who needed him, just like he did when alive.


	9. Brothers

As the everyone else in the congregation leaves, Tavros alone waits for the mortician to collect the ashes of his brother into a simple urn. Although watching the action causes the grieving teen to cringe, he stays so he can continue the ancient Nitram tradition of throwing the ashes to the wind. He previously explained this family tradition and how every single Nitram for hundreds of years underwent the ceremony. However, watching the manager sweep the particles into the simple container brought tears to the teens eyes.

Once the man completes gathering the grey remains, he simply nods to the grieving boy, handing him the pot with a look of sympathy. Tavros quickly thanks the man and leaves the building from the back entrance, cradling the jar in his arms delicately. Once outside, he decides to walk off into the forest behind the mansion so he can fulfill the requirement for complete solitude during the ritual. Once in the woods he finds a small clearing and takes note of the strong winds which the weather forecasters had predicted for today. Sighing sullenly, the teen opens the jar, and blinks away tears defiantly. Allowing himself to take a deep breath, Tavros attempts to calm himself. Now's not the time for grieving he admonishes himself angrily, reaching into the container and pulling out a small handful of greyish powder. Shaking a great deal, he releases the first handful and watches it dissipate, disappearing.

Still trembling, he sits on a nearby rock and grabs another fist of the ash, and unsuccessfully tries to hold back the persistent tears. Ignoring his own mutinous sobs, he releases the material in his hand and allows it to sail away in grey wisps. Tears streaming down his face and shuddering violently he continues the ritual, slowly remembering all the precious years he spent with his dear brother. He first recounts memories from when their parents died and the younger boy hated himself for his useless legs, his brother would hold him as he cried and assured him that Tavros didn't become a freak because of his crippled legs. Rufioh would always tell Tavros he would get better because he had the strength to do so. And soon good, happy experiences such as the times where an exhausted Rufioh would come home from a double overtime shift, but would still have time to watch Peter Pan until midnight. Never did Rufioh ever let Tavros down, even for the smallest, most meaningless things. And Tavros refuses to let his brother down now and continues to set his brother's remains free from its ceramic prison.

The grieving boy had no right to hold Rufioh down in a jar or to the Earth, unable to explore and live a happy afterlife. Tavros cannot let his emotions restrain deceased sibling prisoner so he continues his painful task. Handful after handful, grey dust gets flown away with the wind's breath. However, Tavros eventually empties the jar and smiles proudly as he continues to cry for his deceased brother. He releases all his grief in a fit of body-racking wails, his voice and teardrops carried away by the fierce wind current. As the air around him rages, it strips the unbearable guilt and suffering from Tavros. Evnentually the gale subsides and Tavros feels at peace, somehow aware of Rufioh smiling down on him and knowing he raised his little brother into a remarkably strong young man.

Elsewhere, Gamzee patiently waits outside his car as he watches the groups of people leave. Karkat stopped to chat briefly with him, to catch up on old times. The two never really recovered their abnormally strong relationship after Gamzee got so high that he accidentally slept with Terezi when got drunk. Karkat stated he forgiven the teen, but their relationship still has not recovered completely. So to avoid awkwardness, Karkat ended the short conversation prematurely and left. So now the older boy sits by his car alone, surrounded by strangers and glancing around for his boyfriend while wearing a concerned expression; a whole hour has passed since Gamzee saw Tavros last.

Worried, the teen locks the car and goes toward the side of the house; Tavros had mentioned in earlier conversations on how the ritual needed to take place apart from all other people. As he walks along the buildings side, he suddenly feels as if someone had followed him. Turning around he finds his older brother, Kurloz.

"Hello brother, long time, no see," the twenty-seven year old year states, causing the younger boy to involuntarily cringe. Well known as the local drug-dealer, Kurloz had exposed a seventeen year old Gamzee to all kinds of drugs, first marijuana, and then escalating to meth and heroin. Even after Kurloz eventually realized he had gone way too far, the older Makara still gave Gamzee access to the dangerous, illegal substances.

"What are you doing here you slimy motherfucker?" Gamzee growls as he steps forward, clenching his fists. The teen glares angrily at the man, trying to get his point across; go away.

Kurloz pouts over-dramatically and strolls closer, "now that's not very nice, especially since we haven't seen each other in so long. Maybe I just want to be friends again?" The older man continues forward, causing Gamzee to feel even more on edge.

"Oh, and why would that be?" Gamzee asks sarcastically, "Oh yeah, because some motherfucking bastard of a brother fed me narcotics like they were motherfucking candy!" Gamzee stares down his brother, still ambling closer in a light-hearted manner, and feels the tears prick at his eyes. As much as he should and as much as he wants to, he simply cannot bring himself to hate his brother. Before the drugs, the two actually had a real relationship and enjoyed each other's company. They would always talk on and on how miraculous life seemed and how one could find beauty everywhere. However, at the moment Gamzee felt like stomping on his trachea just so he would never hear his disgusting voice ever again.

"Come on bro," the man replies, speaking sincerely, "I'm sorry for that, can't we just forgive and forget?" Gamzee glowers at the other man and notices how close Kurloz has gotten.

"Get the motherfuck away! I don't want you near me; I don't want to see you ever again!" He shouts, tears trickling down his cheeks. How dare this bastard try to wedge into my life! Gamzee inwardly screams, what kind of sibling drugs his brother for profit? Even the fact that Gamzee cannot bring himself to hate this scum caused great anger to form inside his body.

"Now, now, now," the man responds, sounding regretful, "there's no need for that. Please just give me another chance." Closing his eyes and fighting back tears, Gamzee doubts his brother's intent, and goes rigid as he feels the older man wrap his arms around him. "Come on, it's alright. You're okay," Kurloz continues, embracing the stiff Gamzee. The younger boy breaks down and continues weeping, leaning into his brother. Right as he begins getting comfortable with the embrace, the familiar prick of a needle in the back of his neck causes Gamzee to jerk violently. Now chuckling, his sibling releases the sobbing boy and walks away.

Betrayed, Gamzee furiously screams out as his body begins quaking violently. A high starts to spread throughout his once rehabilitated body and instead of bringing pleasure; it fills the boy with intense hatred and sorrow. "Why?" he shouts at his sibling. Gamzee can already tell his brother injected him with a dose much too large for someone unfamiliar with the narcotic.

The other man shakes his head laughing at his brother's naïvety, "You silly boy. It is the same as before; money. I've been a little low on customers and, well, you were just too easy to resist. Now that it is your system you will just be begging me for more. But, really, it is not personal, just business." Kurloz continues laughing and walks away, leaving the weeping child to his misery.

Gamzee, now heavily affected by the drugs, begins to feel numb and holds his knees to his chest as he rides out the disgusting waves of pleasure coming from the narcotic. Crying profusely, he lies on the ground whimpering. After a short period of time, arms wrap around him once again, shocking him into action. Writhing around, he fights against the limbs and fears yet another injection from his traitorous brother.

"Gamzee it's me!" a familiar and concerned voice shouts. Recognizing the person, Gamzee stops struggling and looks up. The older teen whimpers like a child as he sees the frowning face of Tavros and backs away, crawling into a corner.

"No!" he screams, filled with self-loathing, "get away from me! You can't see me like this. N-not like this. N-no please." Tavros scoots even closer, embracing the poor teen and hushing him. The boy continues to fight back, pushing against the other's chest. "No, no I'm motherfucking disgusting, get away from me! I'll motherfucking hurt you, like I did to Karkat. I can't do that to you Tavbabe. No, not you…" Gamzee continues, blithering incoherently at the worried looking boy standing before him.

"Gamzee, hush, you will be fine. We will be fine. Let's go home. Okay?" Gamzee shakes his head, pushing the other away so he can wallow in his own self-hatred alone. However, his body, too muddled by the drugs to have any strength, fails stop Tavros from picking him off the ground. The smaller boy barely supports his distressed boyfriend back to the car and deposits him into the passenger seat. The teen wraps his arms around his legs and looks away from Tavros with tear filled eyes. The other boy gets into the driver seat and looks at his lover as he continues to mutter incoherently rocking slightly. Tavros straps on both of their seat-belts and drives home, feeling anger at whoever did this to Gamzee.

After a ride filled with the quiet sniffling, Tavros basically drags the other boy into their room and sits him down on their white bed. A distressed Gamzee lies face down on the bed, his sobs muffled by the plush pillows. The other teen gets on the bed, feeling sadness well up in his chest for the broken boy lying on the edge of the mattress. Tavros crawls up to boyfriend turning the boy on his side, so they face one another and kisses Gamzee on the nose. And instead of asking what happened, the smaller boy simply cradles the other, knowing his boyfriend needs comfort now. After minutes filled with body-racking sobs, the older teen eventually inhales a deep breath and allows himself to speak.

"Kurloz is back," Gamzee whispers inaudibly. Tavros goes stiff and pulls back from the embrace, once again revealing his weepeing boyfriend's face. "He said he wanted to fix our relationship, but then he…" Gamzee mutters, his voice trailing off into shamed silence and shivering from the revolting memory. Tavros watches as the tall, broad teen, usually a main source of support, crumble before his eyes. The sight made it feel as if Kurloz himself had just wrenched out his heart, laughing that inherently maniacal and raspy chuckle which Tavros found disturbing.

"Gamzee, what did he do to you?" Tavros, now deeply concerned, asks softly but intently. The other boy only responds by grabbing his boyfriend's hand and trailing it behind his neck. Tavros feels blood and loose skin from the hasty, forced injection, and speedily wraps his arms around Gamzee's neck. "It's okay Gamz," he assures with conviction, "you don't need it. You will be okay. You're better now." Gamzee just lies there and hugs the smaller boy to him, and only nods his head slightly, still not convinced. Tavros pulls the boy in closer, and feels tears once again against his chest. "We'll be alright, I'll be there for you. We won't let that bastard win, will we?" Gamzee shakes his head, this time with determination. Even if he falls off the wagon again, he refuses to go back to his brother.

The two hug each other, and the comfort of the embrace begins to set in, eventually calming Gamzee enough to the point where he ceases crying. He nestles his head into his lovers chest and lets out a soft sigh. Taking this as a good sign, Tavros kisses his boyfriend on the forehead and allows himself fall asleep. Even with a troubled mind, Gamzee finally stops resisting the peaceful invitation of sleep and follows his lover into slumber, almost feeling content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all, I really like this chapter and I hope you liked it too. I want to thank my editor catabolix who has gone to the trouble to help with this. You are the best :D. And remember, please give me some criticism if you think I could improve something if you don't like it, or tell me if you like it. I am almost at the point where I have caught up with where I am at at ff and I will really crank out these chapters if I know people are out there enjoying this (whether through Kudos, comments, bookmarks, etc.). Of course, you don't have to, but it is greatly appreciated! Anyway, thank you for reading! :]*


	10. A Fairy Tale Remix

"Oh, hey Doc," Gamzee whispers into the phone, sitting on the edge of the bed. Looking at the clock on his mobile, he sighs heavily and rubs his bloodshot his eyes. Why did Mr. Egbert need to call at 5:30 in the morning? Although Gamzee wants nothing more than to return to bed, he begrudgingly turns all of his attention back to the phone, listening intently to the medical professional on the other end.

"Okay, so, today two of our daycare operators here at the hospital quit. Considering your previous history with taking care of children, Mr. Zahaak wanted you to consider taking their place. Will you do it?" The teen looked incredulously at the device in his hand and processed the information. Although his father had a vast amount of money, Gamzee knew he would receive none of it after graduation. Mr. Makara and his youngest son maintained a strained relationship, to say the least. A job would definitely help in the long run, especially at a hospital where the pay often stayed well above minimum wage.

"Sure mother- um, Mr. Egbert," Gamzee responds excitedly, smiling, his gaze shifting to his sleeping boyfriend. Tavros, as if on cue, snores softly which elicits a few chuckles from the older boy. What a cute motherfucker, he thinks, laughing softly and shaking his head. Suddenly, Gamzee realizes if he leaves to go work at the hospital, his boyfriend would have no one to spend time with. "Wait, doc, you said two caretakers quit, right?"

"Yes, that is what I said," the doctor replies slowly, unsure of what Gamzee means by asking this question.

"So, do you think Tavros could be one as well?" the boy asks hopefully. After all the time they spend together, he could not imagine having to remain apart for an entire work day.

"Sorry Gamzee, but this position has been filled already," the doctor answers, causing the boy to frown. However, before Gamzee can turn down the offer the doctor continues, "However, if he can, we would like him to come anyway." Feeling quite relieved, the just awoken boy grins broadly and exhales softly. "You see, he does not have any experience with children so hiring him could look bad on our part for when inspectors come. Actually, your previous drug addiction almost made us dismiss you as a candidate for the job. However, Mr. Zahaak may eventually hire him if he comes with you and acts as a sort of model for the injured kids at the hospital daycare."

For the rest of the conversation the doctor explains what the job should entail. Dr. Egbert relays some important details such as the children's age range of five to twelve, and half of which have sicknesses, a good number life-threatening. Additionally, the physician mentioned having to fill out paperwork, but the hospital has already added most of the information because of the data collected from insurance cards.

Finally, after the doctor finishes informing him of his responsibilities, the teen shuts his phone, and throws on some clothing. Now wearing a plain V-neck black t-shirt and dark jeans, Gamzee walks around the bed and shake his lover awake. Tavros awakes with a jump from is deep sleep and sits up suddenly, bringing about a loud laugh from the older teen. "Tavbabe, guess who just got a motherfucking job!" Gamzee exclaims, causing Tavros jaw to drop. "Equius's dad wants me to watch the little motherfuckers at the hospital!"

"Wait, uh, no offense, but you are going to work, like at a real job?" Tavros knows Gamzee once held a job at a daycare of some sort, but he never expected his boyfriend to do something this serious. The hospital daycare takes care of children with serious diseases and need special attention, so a reliable, well trained professional should have taken the job, not that Tavros did not feel proud his boyfriend got into such a great career field.

"I know right, who would have motherucking known?" Gamzee replies rushing to the closet. Pulling out Tavros's prosthetic legs and a mass jumbled pile of clothing, the older teen hurried to the younger boy and dressed him as quickly as possible. As he attaches the legs, Gamzee continues on, rambling excitedly, "And you get to come and chill with the tiny motherfuckers too! Dr. Egbert said they can all up and motherfucking hire you after you get some experience with them Ain't that bitchtits?" Grinning a ridiculous amount, the teen finishes putting on Tavros's clothes and pulls him of the bed and into a hug.

Tavros also begins smiling uncontrollably at the jovial mood of his boyfriend, especially after the horrible previous day. Perhaps the drugs in Gamzee's system did not affect the teen as much as it seemed the other day. The idea that his boyfriend could go beyond his history of addiction made Tavros to feel incredibly happy, almost enough to ignore the fact that it is only six in the morning.

"Oh, and the doc said to get there at seven, so come the motherfuck on, let's go!" Tavros gasped as Gamzee pulled him along while giggling childishly, quite a feat considering the extra weight added by the prosthetic legs. The two proceeded to leave the building hand in hand, and jumped in the car. Gamzee looked over at Tavros and grinned, chuckling as his purple eyes lit with enthusiasm.

The two drove on to the hospital discussing the minor details of the job and reached the building in record time; arriving fifteen minutes before necessary. Before even entering the building, Tavros gets tackle-hugged by an over-excited, squealing Roxy. Laughing, Tavros returns the embrace and watches as Jade too comes bounding out of the building. Exchanging pleasantries, the four people walk through the halls, the girls leading them to the daycare center.

Once there Roxy opens the door, revealing a colorfully painted room. The shapes of little hands of various colors cover the entirety of the left wall, names written under the cute design. Additionally, happy scenes litter the room, all clearly made by previous young residents, adding an endearing quality to the scene. The children themselves litter the toy-blanketed ground, playing with each other.

In contrast to the adorable scene, coughing and sleeping children fill the simple medical beds which line the walls of the room. Frowns cover the faces of the two boys as they notice a five-year old hacking violently. However, the two teens and the nurse watch as a young man of about twenty, wearing round shades, a white shirt with red sleeves, and jeans gives the kid a medicine which seems to calm him down, if not completely ceasing the coughs.

The young man comes over to the group and kisses Jade on the cheek with a smile, much to the surprise of the two boys. "Hey, Jade. What's up with these guys?" the stranger asks, looking over at the two teens with mild interest.

"Well, the one with the messed up hair, Gamzee- I told you about him- will work as a caretaker as well," Jade replies bubbly, grinning at the glasses-wearing teen. "Tavros, Gamzee's boyfriend, will help out and, if all goes well, he will work here too!"

"Oh yeah, Egderp said something about new employees or whatever. Cool," he then walks away, and returns to the obnoxiously loud group of children. Perplexed by the seemingly bi-polar moods of the older caretaker looks at the nurses, Tavros gives the two nurses a confused look.

"Sorry about that," Jade says, giggling, "He is actually so cool once he warms up to you. Until then, he will be weird and aloof like that." The two teens nod and turn their gaze back to the shouting children, the noise in the room rapidly increasing in volume.

"Dave, we're bored!" A little girl cries, other boys and girls around her screaming and nodding in agreement. Dave begins chuckling and says something to the children, although too quietly to be heard by Gamzee and Tavros. Around Dave, the youngsters gather expectantly except for those too ill to bother. Dave sets a dock station on one of the kiddie-tables and inserts an IPod. A few button clicks later, the device begins playing a simple beat, and Dave surprises the two newcomers by starting a rap.

"Stop flapping your mouths,

And listen real good,

Uncle Dave is dropping beats in,

Mr. Z's neighborhood.

Those dumb fairy tales,

Don't hold a candle,

To what I'm using to get you,

To put on your big-kid sandals.

And if ya' wanna hear a REAL story

Mother goose get's fired

Cuz this one's got gangstas

And romance desired

Cinderella's a pimp

You surely can't miss

Those gold chains on her neck

Got her ready for this

She's got the clothes

The bling

The swag

The sing-song

Tunes to make you mad

With giggly cheers,"

Impressed with the man, Tavros, Gamzee, Jade and Roxy move toward the crowd of children, and start making their way through the crowd. Dave acknowledges the people with a subtle nod and smirks mischievously, pointing to the older of the two boys.

"Now my bro Gamzee here,

Gonna start rappin' ya' to tears!"

Gamzee, as usual, just smiles and goes with the flow and shrugs. Stepping up to the front of the crowd, children watching expectantly as he clears his throat. Never hearing Gamzee rap before, Tavros winces and desperately hopes his boyfriend does not make a fool of himself on the first day of the job. Speaking of which, this activity might not give off the best impression if the boss decided to show up. However, Tavros expects the incredibly busy Mr. Zahaak to not to show himself at the daycare at this time; such an event would probably be as improbable as a pumpkin appearing out of thin air.

"This wicked story starts,

With a blondie in blue,

She be singin' while washing,

The dirty floor for you.

That's when her big sisters,

Start wrecking her shit,

Callin' her to mop,

And wash,

Then to split."

The children, excitedly giggling as the teen starts shouting even louder, pleased with the rapping done by the newbie. On the other hand, Dave, Tavros, Jade and Roxy stare dumbfounded as Gamzee continues.

"One night that girl,

Ditchin' the sleepin' coon,

Tried to go to the ball,

To meet a prince soon,

The sis got an idea and ripped the chains off her neck,

The rats cried out in distress!"

Chuckling, Gamzee grabs Tavros by the arm and pulls him up into the middle of the mob. Tavros stares open-mouthed, understanding what his boyfriend wants. Spluttering "ers" and "uhs," he stands there looking rather foolish in front of the children. Laughing, Gamzee prompts the younger teen by starting another verse.

"But merciful messiahs be praised…" Tavros, looking at all the hopeful faces of the little tikes, sighs and uncertainly starts rapping.

"Uh, yeah,

The girl got new digs,

Her whole night was saved." Still standing with his boyfriend, Gamzee encourages Tavros to continue while nodding fervently. The younger boy, looking at the pleased faces of the kids surrounding him, smirks and musters as much confidence as he can.

"Then, uh, she went to the ball,

And like a song from Skrillex,

Um, she danced and smiled,

And kind of, er, hit it,

Off with the…prince,

Then came midnight,

Uh, then her swag, uh, wore off,

She was, um, sore to the sight." Not sure where he meant to go with this, he looks at his two companions and silently pleads for them to continue. Understanding Tavros's dilemma, Dave starts up once again.

"Don't worry kids,

The gal is fine,

She left behind her good sneaker,

As a sign,

Before she was out-of-time.

The wicked prince used the shoe,

And searched the entire ghetto,

Through and through,

To find Mrs. Cinderelly,

So they could get married, but no." Dave nods to Gamzee. Expecting this, the teen smiles and takes the spotlight once again without missing a beat.

"That sis be wantin' the prince,

So she tried to fit inside,

Her foot was just too big

And both sistas just wanted to cry.

By the end of the day,

Cinderella got her reward,

A prince,

Money,

Her sisters out the door."

Turning his gaze to Tavros, Gamzee smiles and nods his head. Only a little more sure of himself this time around, Tavros inhales and finishes off the story, "This just shows that, uh,

Fairy tales stories do come true,

And, uh,

Sometimes, to get the guy,

All you gotta do is be you!"

Sighing heavily, Tavros shuts off the IPod and smiles timidly at the crowd of delighted children. All throughout the room the kids clap their hands, even the severely ill ones in their beds. The three teens soak up the attention and do over-dramatic bows until the youngsters decide to start playing with their toys, now having lost interest in the three performers.

"Tavros, Gamzee, I didn't know you rapped," Roxy exclaims, smiling giddily, "you two did so good!" Jade, nodding her head feverishly, agrees with the older nurse and grins at the two boys. Putting her hand on Tavros's shoulder reassuring Roxy continues with an excited smile, "Tavros, you keep that kind of interaction with the kids up and you will a job here for sure!"

"I have to say, nurse Lalonde, I must agree," a raspy voice begins, drawing the group's attention. Now looking towards the door, Tavros sees a man with pin-straight hair and blue eyes waiting in the doorway. He wears a royal blue button-up dress shirt and black slacks. However, the part of the man's outfit most noted by the teens, is the name tag which reads "Mr. Zahaak". "It seems quite clear to me that you are good with the children, so I think I may reconsider the postponement of your hiring." But then he looks again around the room, noticing the peaceful atmosphere (at least for a room full of kids) and changes his mind, "Actually, consider yourself an official caretaker here the hospital. Good luck Tavros, and good job"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Welp, it should be known that I actually didn't write this rap X], at least not most of it. I do not know if this person has an AO3 account but on fanfiction.net the pen name is xEmistuckx. Anyway, thank you for reading :]***


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